Blogging Space Fiction and Hearthstone

Main menu

Post navigation

Wild Jade Druid Guide part 1: Introduction / Deckbuilding

Jade Druid is a deck that tries to continuously summon Jade Golems until they become so large that it becomes impossible for the opponent to deal with them. The Druid has access to ramp cards that let you play your cards earlier than they would otherwise be able to. In addition, the Druid has access to heavy card draw with two Nourish and two Ultimate Infestation. The combination of Jade cards with heavy card draw is so powerful because the extra card draw will draw the Druid into even more Jade cards, which, of course, become more powerful the more of them the Druid has.

In this article, I will explain Jade Druid’s playstyle, core cards of the deck, tech cards, and offer a few example deck lists. In part two of this series, I will go more in-depth about how to play this unique deck.

In the midgame – which begins at four mana – your turns are often quite linear, because you’ll often play one card a turn. If you draw ramp cards like Mire Keeper or Nourish, keep in mind that you’ll have even more mana crystals when planning out your future turns.

Your goal against aggressive decks like Pirate Warrior should be to stabilise the board. You should recognise that you don’t need to play large Jades to win, and that the cards that really win you the game are cards like Swipe, Spreading Plague, and Malfurion the Pestilent. Conversely, if you’re playing against control decks, your goal should be either to play your Jade minions, or to draw cards so that you can play even more Jade minions in future turns.

Core cards in Jade Druid

If you opt to play a typical Jade Druid deck, then there are about twenty-three core cards in the deck. I highly recommend playing all of the core cards.

Tech cards, with explanations

Innervate is a good tech option that’s good against any deck, but there isn’t really enough space for it. Tech cards like Living Roots, Mark of the Lotus, or Brann Bronzebeard are stronger cards than Innervate, and they’re also quite cheap so you shouldn’t have any trouble playing all of your cards quickly.

Living Roots is a cheap spell that gives you board presence or deals two damage. What’s not to like? Even though it doesn’t have much value, Jade Druid can use some cards that are super cheap because you want to play out your hand before you play Ultimate Infestation.

Mark of the Lotus is a tech card that’s so strong because it’s good against any deck. Against aggro, it’s exceptional when paired with Spreading Plague. Against any slower deck, it can make your board much more difficult to kill.

Earthen scales can provide some much-needed armor against Pirate Warrior, some Mage archetypes, and Reno Priest. Since Reno Priest is quite strong and popular, it can be worth including Earthen Scales to survive longer against Shadowreaper Anduin.

Doomsayer is a tech card against aggro. Unfortunately, Doomsayer is usually a dead card against control, which is why I’d recommend a tech option that’s useful against other decks too, like Mark of the Lotus or Mind Control Tech.

Mind Control Tech is a very good tech card that helps cover the Druid’s weakness against wide boards. When paired with Spreading Plague on turn 9, Mind Control Tech can turn a losing board into an almost insurmountable advantage for you. It’s also not a bad turn 3 play against slower decks because three damage a turn adds up quite quickly.

Mulch is a strong tech card against a few popular archetypes, including Big Priest, Inner Fire Priest, and most Rogue archetypes. Mulch is also useful against any deck that plays big minions, like Giants Hunter or Renolock.

Spellbreaker is a tech card against decks where there are a lot of silenceable minions, namely Paladin and Big Priest. I don’t recommend it because Mind Control Tech is better against Paladin, and Mulch is a better tech card against Big Priest.

You don’t need to play these greedy minions because you’re already favorable against most slow decks and you’ll hurt your other matchups against Wild’s powerful aggro decks. Brann is a much better tech card against control decks, anyway.

Azure drake is a tech card for matchups where you want to draw cards, but you shouldn’t need to play it because you should eventually draw Ultimate Infestation anyway. It’s also good against Priest because it doesn’t die to their removal.

I haven’t tried Emperor Thaurissan in a long time. Seriously, I have no idea if it’s good. It’s potentially strong for the same reason as ramp cards like Mire Keeper: It lets you play more cards in future turns.

Pilfered Power is another way to ramp, and it shines when paired with Living Roots early on. I haven’t tried this, but it seems inconsistent to me.

Example Decklist & Stats

In October, I reached legend with a fairly standard Jade Druid deck that included two Living Roots, Brann Bronzebeard, one Mulch, and two Mind Control Tech and I had a ridiculous 70% win rate. In November, I played a slightly different deck that cut both Mind Control Techs for an extra Mulch and a Mark of the Lotus. I’ve decided to feature the deck I played in November below.

Two more example decklists

I have prepared two Jade Druid decks that are completely different from the commonly accepted version, and don’t play all of the twenty-three core cards. The deck below is similar to JAB’s fast Jade Druid, but I’ve taken the liberty of adapting the deck for the Wild format by cutting the Spellbreaker for a second Jade Spirit and the two Golakka Crawler for two Living Roots.

Another possible way to build Jade Druid is to remove Jade summoners like Jade Spirit and Jade Behemoth, and instead play two Gadgetzan Auctioneer alongside two Arcane Giant and many 1-cost spells. This Jade Druid cycles through its entire deck extremely quickly so that it can start to shuffle more Jade Idols and play them.

I don’t think the deck below is very competitive, but it’s something interesting you can try if you want to play something offbeat.

Example of a cycle-heavy Jade Druid with Arcane Giants.

Deck code:

AAEBAZICBK6rApS9AvnAApnTAg1AX/4BxAakB+QI6BWCtAK0uwLNuwLLvAKgzQKHzgIA

Conclusion / Part 2 coming soon

This is the end of the introductory / deckbuilding part of my Jade Druid guide. Check back here on Tuesday for the second part of this guide, which will include gameplay tips and matchup-specific advice.